Planetary scientist believe they have find an tremendous deposit of water system ice near the Mars equator . Almost two decades ago , researchers discovered some funny thick deposit underneath theMedusae Fossae Formation(MFF ) . The previous data suggest these bank deposit are extremely plentiful in ice .
The MFF is made of many wind - sculpt lineament and has an area of about one - one-fifth of the continental United States . It is believe to be the biggest single source of detritus on Mars and it extends all the way to Gale Crater , whichNASA ’s Curiosityis exploring .
Data from the European Space Agency ’s Mars Express paint a picture that there is so much ice there , that if it were to melt it would cover Mars in a layer of body of water 1.5 to 2.7 meters ( 4.9 to 8.6 base ) deep . That ’s the amount of urine found in the whole Red Sea on Earth .
Map of potential ice thickness in the MFF.Image Credit: ESA
“ We ’ve explored the MFF again using new data from Mars Express ’s MARSIS radio detection and ranging , and found the repository to be even thick-skulled than we thought : up to 3.7 klick [ 2.3 miles ] blockheaded , ” Dr Thomas Watters of the Smithsonian Institution , USA , lead generator of both the young research and the initial 2007 field of study , said in a statement direct to IFLScience .
“ Excitingly , the radar signals match what we ’d expect to see from layered ice , and are like to the signals we see from Mars ’s polar jacket , which we know to be very ice - copious . ”
Since the initial observations , investigator considered the possibleness that the deposit was plentiful in ice . It was relatively transparent to radar and downcast in density , so it was certainly not hard rock , but they could n’t rule out that it could be a giant deposit of rubble , volcanic ash tree , or deposit .
“ Here ’s where the Modern radar information comes in ! Given how mystifying it is , if the MFF was but a giant lot of detritus , we ’d require it to become compacted under its own weight , ” said Colorado - writer Andrea Cicchetti of the National Institute for Astrophysics , Italy . “ This would create something far denser than what we really see with MARSIS . And when we modelled how different ice - detached material would behave , nothing reproduced the property of the MFF – we need glass . ”
The current view sees the MFF as made of Brobdingnagian layers of ice and dust , topped by a terminal protective stratum of dust or ash several hundred meters thick . This is what has keep the ice protected . Although scientist are shy for how long .
“ This latest depth psychology challenge our understanding of the Medusae Fossae Formation , and raise as many questions as answers , ” allege Colin Wilson , ESA task scientist for Mars Express and the ESA ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter ( TGO ) .
“ How long ago did these ice deposit form , and what was Mars like at that time ? If confirmed to be weewee ice , these massive deposit would change our understanding of Mars clime history . Any reservoir of ancient piss would be a fascinating target area for human or robotic geographic expedition . ”
A paper about this research is release in the diary Geophysical Research Letters .
